Celebrated L.A. hostess Sally Horchow is an exemplar of fortytude and founder and host of verygoodlooking.com, a resource for all things lifestyle: food and drink, travel, culture—you name it. Think: a how-to guide on living the good life, easily. Here, Sally shares ways to make your Thanksgiving holiday one everyone will enjoy.
A THANKSGIVING WORTH GIVING THANKS FOR
As Turkey Day approaches, it’s very easy to get caught up in the Martha Stewart Magazine craft-o-rama and the growing numbers on the spreadsheet and the overwhelming recipe file and the stress of the impending mother-in-law visit and you just want to cancel everything, order a pizza, and crawl into a hole until December.
So, my numero uno suggestion for HOW TO THROW A THANKSGIVING WORTH GIVING THANKS FOR is to:
1. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF
- ORGANIZE and make lists, and outsource as much as you can in advance (including asking everyone attending to bring a dish), so that you don’t have too much on your plate;
- PROGRAM “YOU TIME” during Thanksgiving week to do something OTHER THAN entertaining your visiting family, cooking the bird, organizing place cards, and stressing out about the preparations.
- BE REALISTIC about what you can and can’t do. Trying to tackle too much – or even writing too many things down on your to-do list – will backfire on you in the form of disappointment in yourself. So focus on things you can and want to do.
Thanksgiving dinner is a tradition in and of itself, but it will only be fun for you and your guests if you, as the host, put your own spin on it. Make it memorable and meaningful for all who take part by doing the following:
2. START A TRADITION
- Say a special toast or prayer and ask everyone to repeat one part of it, aloud, together (perhaps you could make a copy of it and put it under each person’s place setting, or make a place card out of it, so that they can take it home with them).
- If you have a small group, go around the table and ask each person to share aloud what they are most thankful for, and if it’s a big group, ask everyone to say it to the person next to them.
- Ask everyone to bring some canned goods to donate to a local homeless shelter or food bank – and make sure to make a cool pyramid display of the stuff everyone brought, or even use the cans as centerpieces of your table somehow – to celebrate everyone’s contribution and spark conversations about it.
Finally, Thanksgiving carries so much meaning for so many people, although each person that comes to your table will have different memories, associations, and anxieties about the holiday. Being a good Thanksgiving host is NOT about the juiciness of the turkey—it is about acknowledging your guests’ own take on their Thanksgivings past, and helping them enjoy this one.
3. INVOLVE YOUR GUESTS
- STORIES – Whether family or friends from different backgrounds, everyone has a story you haven’t heard about a past Thanksgiving holiday. Make sure to ask them about it!
- DISHES - When you ask your friends or relatives to bring a dish to the dinner, make sure to tell them what you are already serving, and suggest that if they want to be sure to have their favorite sweet potato or stuffing recipe from their youth to make them feel more at home, that they should bring it!
- PREP/PRESENTATION/CLEAN-UP – Giving people something to do and to help with will make them feel part of the family, part of the occasion, and engaged in the day.
Have a VERY GOOD LOOKING Thanksgiving!
